I kept seeing the same charming San Diego-themed greeting and post cards around boutiques here, and finally I had to ask, “Who makes these??” And that’s how I came to know of Katie Hart, a stationer and illustrator whose line Odd Daughter Co. (named for her mother’s middle school nickname, which was a clever play on her last name “Evenson”) is full of witty, whimsical and adorable paper goods. I love this one:
Perhaps even more amazing is her recent venture, Paper for Good, a line of products, like this Improve the World print, which gives $5 of every purchase to UNICEF to aid Syrian refugee camps. I’m a wee bit obsessed with her paper products and even more in awe of her success at a young age. Click on to hear about how she brings fall to San Diego and what she does while watching her favorite TV shows.
I’ll be honest: I don’t particularly like downtown San Diego. I had my concrete fill in Chicago and New York and moved here not for more tall buildings and car-filled streets; I wanted greenery, outdoor space and calm. (Fact: I really love living in a residential area now!)
But if I were to live anywhere near downtown, it’d be in Little Italy. It’s a tiny ‘hood made up of just a few blocks, but it’s quite charming with plenty of restaurants and interesting boutiques to keep you busy. I took a break from my computer on Monday afternoon to tour the area. I didn’t stop to snack or shop. I just walked — in and out of stores, past beautiful urban gardens and through the ocean-facing blocks. And here’s a little photo diary of it all:
For me, September just sort of came and went because there was so much going on. Eaman turned 30 and as a surprise, I flew his sister in for a weekend of Funfetti cake, Bananagrams, hiking and sunset-viewing. I also went to Riviera Magazine‘s To Dine For event, which pairs the best in San Diego fine dining with A-list interior designers, hiked the Rose Canyon trail with my friend Gloria and got Teddy neutered.
He wore a cone for 8 days, which was kind of a disaster because he trotted around the apartment like it ain’t no thang. He bumped into the coffee table, dragged it with him and broke the cone, so we taped it up, then he ate the tape, then he broke it again a different way, and it went on like that for 8 days. Anyway, the last scene in the video? That’s probably the most realistic portrayal of things — dog toys on the floor and Teddy distracting us from work (and we don’t hate it).
I love a well-made product with a story behind it, but I wasn’t always like that. (Cue: image of bags upon bags of short-lived Forever 21 clothes.) Ever since watching artisans make incredible crafts and wares within small communities in South America and Asia, though, I’m so much more interested in supporting small business owners in my own country.
Enter: The American Edit, a new site founded by fashion and housewares industry vet Rita Mehta, who had trouble finding fashionable womenswear and home decor with a Made-in-America stamp and decided to fill the void herself. TAE is like a beautifully curated encyclopedia of the best in American-made goods — things like jewelry from Catbird, wood products from A Sunny Afternoon and a whole lot more organized by location, maker, purpose or product. I love the quick-hit header that explains what each shop is known for, the bright, airy photographs and the site’s slick layout.
An inspirational woman with a revolutionary idea? Obviously she needed to share her rituals. Read on to find out about why she heads back to bed in the mornings and what her 30-before-30 list is all about.
When we went backpacking for a year, one of my main concerns was that I wouldn’t be able to slather on body lotion post shower. I’m a skincare freak. I’m obsessed with face scrubs, diligent about washing my face before bed and you’d better believe SPF is no joke to me.
Remember how I recently found out my beloved Neutrogena Sheer-Touch isn’t as great as we think? And remember how I recently blogged about wanting to use a skincare routine to achieve some calm? Around the same time, I also heard about Beautycounter, a new L.A.-based skincare brand that’s committed to responsible, healthy and safe skincare products. Here’s a little food for thought: 1300 chemical ingredients are banned in the European Union; 11 are banned in the U.S.
For their part, Beautycounter prescribes to a Never List, a lengthy list of harmful ingredients that you’ll never find in their products — obvious ones like parabens and phthalates as well as not-so-obvious ingredients like mineral oil, which sounds totally fine, right? (Mineral oil is actually a by-product of petroleum distillation that can cause contact dermatitis. Yikes!)
Here are a few of my favorite (Beauty Counter) things:
